How to delete photos, videos, GIFs from a specific chat on WhatsApp while retaining text messages

There are methods to clear out media from specific chats on WhatsApp. There are also ways to prevent media from getting downloaded to your phone’s gallery.

Yasmin Ahmed, IT, New Delhi, October 27, 2020:  Some people quit sending WhatsApp forwards in the form of photos and videos. WhatsApp recently brought in the mute forever option that automatically puts you into a perpetual do not disturb category from these chats. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• WhatsApp gives options to declutter unnecessary forwarded photos and videos for specific chats.
• WhatsApp users can prevent media from getting downloaded to their phone’s gallery for specific chats and groups.
• WhatsApp users can also adjust settings to prevent photos or videos entirely from getting saved on their camera rolls.

You can also hide such chats by archiving them. However, you know for a fact that the media including the photos, videos, and GIFs in such WhatsApp chat are completely useless, but you may need the text messages at some point. In such cases, you can selectively delete WhatsApp media from a particular chat while retaining the text messages. Here is how:

For iOS & Android:

-- Go to Settings > Data and Storage Usage > Storage Usage

-- Select the contact or group whose media, including photos, videos or GIFs you want to clear out

--Select Manage > Tick the boxes next to what you want to clear, such as videos or voice Messages, leave out the text messages box

--Alternatively, users can also clear out text messages and keep the photos. It is entirely up to them when it comes to media theywant to keep or get rid of.

--Click on Clear to confirm.

Alternatively, users can also adjust settings for a specific group of media to prevent it from automatically downloading photos or videos, here is how:

--Go to the group or the specific chats whose media you want to prevent from getting downloaded automatically.

For iOS:

-- Go to Chat > select specific chat or group whose media you want to prevent from getting downloaded.

-- Tap on contact or subject at top of display > Save to Camera Roll > Set to Always or Never.

For Android:

--Go to the specific contact or group whose media you want to prevent from getting downloaded.

--Click on the specific group or chat’s top bar.

--Select media visibility.

--Select from default, yes or no.

--Click on okay to confirm.

WhatsApp images when downloaded get saved on the phone gallery automatically. You can stop this from happening by following the given steps:

For iOS:

Go to Settings > Chats > Toggle off Save to Camera Roll.

For Android:

Go to Settings > Chats > Toggle off Show Media in Gallery or Media visibility